FELDENKRAIS®

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FELDENKRAIS®

THE FELDENKRAIS METHOD® HELPS PEOPLE OF ALL AGES LEARN TO MOVE MORE EASILY.

Enrich your life and expand your abilities. These gentle innovative lessons allow you to observe how you move, notice unnecessary tension, and improve your overall coordination.

“TO MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE, THE POSSIBLE EASY, AND THE EASY ELEGANT.”

~MOSHE FELDENKRAIS

The Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education uses gentle movement and directed attention to help people learn new and more effective ways of living the life they want. You can increase your ease and range of motion, improve your flexibility and coordination, and rediscover your innate capacity for graceful, efficient movement. Since how you move, is how you move through life, these improvements will often enhance your thinking, emotional regulation, and problem solving capabilities.

The Feldenkrais Method® is based on principles of physics, biomechanics, and an empirical understanding of learning and human development. Moshe Feldenkrais said, “We move according to our perceived self-image.” By expanding your perception and increasing awareness, you will become more aware of your habits and tensions and develop new ways of moving. By increasing sensitivity, the Feldenkrais Method assists you to live your life more fully, efficiently, and comfortably.

You can learn to:

Ease pain and chronic discomfort
Improve posture, balance and flexibility
Prevent injury
Increase energy
Reduce stress and fatigue
Improve concentration

The Feldenkrais Method® has helped:

Musicians, dancers and actors
Athletes and fitness enthusiasts
Students
Children with Special Needs
Seniors
Anyone seeking to improve the quality of life.

CARE

INTELLIGENT MOVEMENT FOR HEALTH AND REHABILITATION

Learning new ways to move can be an essential addition to the treatment of neurological, orthopedic, chronic pain and stress-related conditions.

PERFORMANCE

PERSONAL ERGONOMICS FOR A SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE

Easier movement means greater comfort performing everyday activities at work or at home, and greater skill in athletic and artistic pursuits.

POTENTIAL

ACHIEVING YOUR PERSONAL BEST

As you expand your awareness of how you think, sense, feel and move, the possibilities for personal improvement and human development are limitless.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FELDENKRAIS® METHOD…

…OR VISIT WWW.FELDENKRAIS.COM TO LEARN MORE.

Our in-person Feldenkrais classes will resume in person starting Saturday April 23rd – from 10:30-11:30AM. We are offering an online class via Zoom every Tuesday from 10:30-11:30AM. You can purchase admission in our shop under Workshops/Classes or call us at (201) 644-0840. We are now offering private in-person one-on-one Functional Integration sessions here at Vista. Please call for more details about any of these options.

AWARENESS THROUGH MOVEMENT® (ATM®) LESSONS

Feldenkrais® group classes are known as Awareness Through Movement® (ATM®) lessons. Similar to Tai Chi or gentle yoga, Awareness Through Movement classes use slow, mindful movements to achieve powerful effects in terms of strength, flexibility, and holistic integration of body and mind. Unique to the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education is that these lessons tie directly into functional movements of daily life, such as walking efficiently, safely lifting objects, and improving one’s posture in sitting or standing.

You can expect a class to last about 60 minutes. You might walk, stand, or sit in a chair, although usually you will lie on the floor in a variety of comfortable positions: either on your back, front, or side. The teacher guides students through a sequence of movements, encouraging them to move with gentle attention within a comfortable range. You may become aware of unexpected and interesting connections within and between the movements. As you attend to the improving quality of movement, unnecessary muscular tensions throughout the body can reorganize and release. Students are often amazed at the quick and clear changes that occur through the neuromuscular re-patterning that happens in an Awareness Through Movement lesson.

You will want to wear comfortable clothes to class that allow for movement. Please bring a yoga or other mat and a towel to use for support.

Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement (ATM) Classes Cost: $20 to walk in or buy a package of 10 sessions for $150.

Please see our schedule in the EVENTS section of our website for days and times.

FELDENKRAIS FUNCTIONAL INTEGRATION®

Private Sessions are also available. These are one on one sessions with a practitioner who uses gentle, non-invasive touch and verbal instruction to guide the student in a personalized movement process. Please call us for more information.

YOUR FELDENKRAIS® GUILD CERTIFIED PRACTITIONER IS:

CHRISTIN HARVEY

Christin began her career as a body worker upon graduating from the Helma Institute of Massage Therapy in 1996. She earned her New York State License in 1997.

In 1999 Christin was introduced to the Feldenkrais Method when her father gave her an “Awareness Through Movement” tape. As a body worker, Christin became highly intrigued by her father’s newfound ease of movement and flexibility, and soon shared his fondness and confidence in the lessons. In 2001 Christin enrolled in a four year Feldenkrais Training program under the tutelage of David Zemach-Bersin. She became Guild Certified in 2005.

Working with the Feldenkrais Method continues to broaden Christin’s professional scope, expands her view of the body and mind, and allows her to help people of all ages – even those with serious neurological problems.

Ms. Harvey continues to enhance her Feldenkrais knowledge base by participating in advanced workshops and other Guild sponsored events each year. She also engages in regular study groups with other Feldenkrais Practitioners.

Introduction to Feldenkrais

Three Principles of the Feldenkrais Method

What are Awareness Through Movement (ATM) Leasons?

What are Functional Integration (FI) Sessions?

A Body Scan

A Mini ATM Lesson While Seated

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the Feldenkrais Method® of Somatic Education?

The Feldenkrais Method is a form of somatic education that uses gentle movement and directed attention to improve movement and enhance human functioning. With this Method, you can increase your range of motion, improve your flexibility and coordination, and rediscover your innate capacity for graceful, efficient movement.

By expanding the self-image through movement sequences, the Method enables you to include more of yourself in your movements. Students become aware of their habitual neuromuscular patterns and rigidities, and learn to move in new ways.

Who Benefits from the Feldenkrais Method?

Everyone can benefit from the Method. The Feldenkrais Method helps those experiencing chronic or acute pain of the back, neck, shoulders, hips, legs, or knees, as well as healthy individuals who wish to enhance their movement abilities. The Method has been very helpful in dealing with central nervous system conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, and stroke. Musicians, actors, and artists can extend their abilities and enhance their creativity. Seniors enjoy using it to retain or regain their ability to move without strain or discomfort.

What Happens in a Feldenkrais Method Session?

In group Awareness Through Movement® lessons, the Feldenkrais® teacher verbally leads you through a sequence of movements in basic positions: sitting or lying on the floor, standing or sitting in a chair. These precisely structured movement explorations involve thinking, sensing, moving, feeling, and imagining. By increasing awareness, you will learn to abandon habitual patterns of movement and develop new alternatives, resulting in improved flexibility and coordination. Many lessons are based on developmental movements and ordinary functional activities (reaching, standing, lying to sitting, looking behind yourself, etc.). Some are based on more abstract explorations of joint, muscle, and postural relationships. There are hundreds of ATM lessons, varying in difficulty and complexity, for all levels of movement ability. A lesson generally lasts from 30 to 60 minutes.

Private Feldenkrais lessons, called Functional Integration® lessons, are tailored to each student’s individual learning needs. The teacher guides your movements through gentle non-invasive touching and words. The student is fully clothed, lying on a table, or in a sitting or standing position. At times, various props (pillows, rollers, blankets) are used in an effort to support the student, or to facilitate certain movements. The learning process is carried out without the use of any invasive or forceful procedure.

How Does the Feldenkrais Method Differ from Massage and Chiropractic?

While all of these practices touch people, the Feldenkrais Method is very different. In massage, the practitioner is working directly with the muscles, in chiropractic, with the bones. These are structural approaches that seek to affect change through changes in structure (muscles and spine). The Feldenkrais Method works with your ability to regulate and coordinate your movement, which means working with the nervous system and the whole person.

How are Feldenkrais Practitioners Trained?

All Feldenkrais practitioners must complete 740-800 hours of training over a 3 to 4 year period. Trainees participate in Awareness Through Movement and Functional Integration lessons, lectures, discussions, group process, and watch videos of Dr. Feldenkrais teaching. Newtonian mechanics, physics, neurophysiology, movement development, biology, and learning theories are presented in the training programs.

This list of Frequently Asked Questions was originally compiled by Richard Ehrman and the Feldenweb Committee, 1996.

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